In Only God Forgives, Nicolas Winding Refn tells a blood-drenched story of violence, Oedipal weirdness, and karaoke all set in a grotesque and neon-lit Bangkok. It’s not surprising that Refn (Drive, Valhalla Rising) delivered a brutally violent film with iconic visuals. But what is surprising is how much the low budget film relied on visual effects to embellish those violent images as well as clean up distracting location elements and film equipment. In the video below, VFX supervisor Martin Madsen reveals how much work was needed to really splatter those brains and to accomplish some of the impressive dolly shots that Refn wanted in his film (all set to “Bride Of Chang” from the film’s score by Cliff Martinez). Too often we think of VFX as Michael Bay-style overblown elements of explosions or nigh-incomprehensible robotic carnage, but Madsen’s video shows that when used judiciously and thoughtfully, they can help filmmakers overcome practical concerns to see their visions realized. [via /Film]

(Note: While it shows how this is all a bit of fakery, the video is pretty graphic and NSFW unless your work is cool with eye gougings, amputations, and the tragic disregard for large air conditioning units.)